Children's Home run by Care2rise Ltd in Newham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2685536 1 Registered provider: Care2Rise Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered in October 2022 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 22 November 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2685536 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2685536 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of care provided to children is good. Staff place children at the centre of their practice and ensure that children’s day-to-day needs are met. Staff are warm and sensitive in their interactions with the children. Children are supported to manage difficult life experiences. One child said that staff have helped them to understand their emotions, and incidents of self-harm have significantly decreased for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence skills. Staff help children to learn how to budget and cook their own meals. This helps children to learn important life skills and prepare for their future. One child has confidently moved to a semi-independent placement following a planned move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff take effective action when children are not in school. They talk with education professionals and provide children with educational activities at home. The manager advocates for home tuition while appropriate schools are identified. As a result, children are now accessing home tuition and making academic progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are routinely registered with universal health services and their health needs are met well. Children are supported and encouraged to think about their health and the impact of lifestyle choices. Key-work sessions focus on relevant issues, such as smoking, sexual health and emotional well-being. This supports children to understand the importance of good healthcare and encourages them to take responsibility for their lifestyle choices and health needs. However, the system for the recording of medication is not robust, as records do not always demonstrate when children refuse medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s physical environment is well maintained. The home is warm and welcoming and has a family atmosphere. Children are supported to personalise their bedrooms. However, their bedrooms are routinely searched without there being sufficient reason for this level of intrusion. Records of room searches accurately reflect the action taken.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they feel safe. They can identify a trusted person to talk to if they have any concerns. Allegations against staff members are managed appropriately and swiftly. Concerns are shared with the relevant agencies. However, two members of staff do not demonstrate a strong understanding of whistle-blowing policies and procedures. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685536 4 The admissions process for new children moving into the home is not sufficiently robust. Information recorded does not demonstrate that consideration has been given to staff’s skills, training and the locality of the home. This limits the manager’s ability to carry out a full assessment of a child’s suitability to live in the home.

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improvement to be good

The manager has reviewed the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises. However, the location risk assessment includes outdated information, such as the details of the previous manager. Furthermore, feedback and views from safeguarding agencies have not been sought. This compromises the manager’s and staff’s understanding of all the current concerns and risks in the local area.

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improvement to be good

Staff only use physical restraint when it is necessary to safeguard children and others. Children receive appropriate support following incidents of restraint to enable them to reflect on their emotions. In addition, incidents of restraint and the method of restraint used are always clearly recorded and the manager has good oversight of these records. However, staff do not always receive a debrief following incidents. This compromises the manager’s and staff’s ability to assess and learn from incidents effectively. The manager works well with key agencies in response to safeguarding incidents, including missing-from-care incidents. When necessary, the manager escalates her concerns effectively. However, children’s risk assessments do not include information about all known risks and the strategies in place to manage these.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have failed to promptly complete all of the actions and recommendations from the fire risk assessment. This poses a risk to children.

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improvement to be good

Children respond well to their individual positive behaviour support plans. Staff set consistent boundaries and routines for children. There is a clear reward system that promotes and encourages positive behaviour. However, staff do not always record the reasons for the consequences given to children, and managers do not regularly review the effectiveness and proportionality of the consequences given.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led and managed by a committed and experienced registered manager. The manager is supported by an experienced deputy manager. Managers and staff know the children well and hold high aspirations for them. This helps children to settle well in the home and to make positive progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communication between leaders, managers and children’s placing authorities is good. Leaders and managers work proactively with other agencies. They take on board feedback from stakeholders and respond quickly when required. Feedback from the children’s placing social workers is positive. This collaborative working ensures that children receive well-rounded and consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive relevant mandatory training, including safeguarding training, in line with the home’s policies. Additionally, staff receive training that is specific to the Inspection report for children’s home: 2685536 5 needs of the children in their care. However, not all staff have completed the training offered, which was raised as a requirement at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel well supported. Managers and staff receive regular and effective supervision sessions and attend team meetings. Staff say that supervision sessions help them to understand their role and consider their personal well-being. However, managers do not consistently provide supervision notes to all staff and discussions are not always recorded promptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The systems in place to review the quality of care provided to children are not effective. Leaders and managers do not reflect on practice and the day-to-day care to enable them to identify how they can improve and develop practice and the quality of care provided. In addition, children’s care plans do not include all important information about their care, including any diagnoses and the support required to meet their needs. Leaders and managers recognise this as an area for development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685536 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff receive training to provide them with necessary skills for their work with children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 30 September

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; 30 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2685536 7 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that risk assessments include details of all known and potential risks to children and the strategies identified to manage and reduce these risks. All staff must fully understand their roles and responsibilities when protecting children from harm.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that all known and potential risks to children are assessed when considering new children moving into the home. Consideration should also be given to whether the staff team has the skills and experience to meet all children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that the recommendations from the fire risk assessment are actioned promptly.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children’s care plans consider all information from the placing authorities, including any diagnoses, and the support required to meet their needs. 29 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. 30 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2685536 8 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 29 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any searches of children’s bedrooms and possessions are carried out sensitively with due consideration given to their need to feel safe and have their dignity and needs respected. In addition, the registered person should ensure that all room searches are appropriately recorded, including the reasons for the search, efforts to seek the child’s consent, any risk assessment and management oversight of a decision to carry out a search. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should keep records of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that all staff supervision is recorded promptly and provides evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with Inspection report for children’s home: 2685536 9 regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraphs 13.3 and 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that records of restraint enable staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where issues or trends of concerns emerge. Specifically, managers should ensure that all staff involved in restraint incidents are debriefed.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685536 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 118a Barking Road, Royal Victoria Docks, London E16 1EN

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Inspectors

Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Amena Begum, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2685536 11 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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